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Witch
Witches are a supernatural race of mortals with the power to work magic through a complex practice known as witchcraft. They are self-claimed keepers of the natural balance, though many witches are known to use their powers for personal reasons. The Balance of Nature The Balance of Nature is a spiritual belief system based around the observance of the Earth and reverence of Mother Nature. The goal of many witches is to honor the design of nature and to maintain balance within the natural world. The balance of nature is intimately tied to one's spiritual relationship with the Earth, and the idea that all living things (e.g. animals, humans, plants, etc.) are considered sacred, as they are all different aspects of nature. Contemporary witches would also agree that using modern ceremonies, rituals and shamanic practices is the best way to attune themselves with the natural rhythms of the universe in their efforts to obtain guidance and knowledge from wiser known witches called "The Spirits". However, according to Gloria, who referred to herself as "old-school voodoo", it is implied that not all witches follow this belief system, and have the freewill to choose how they wish to practice their power. History The origin of witchcraft remains unknown, however it is known that witches have existed for many centuries passing down their knowledge and skills through generations of family lines. Contrary to popular belief, witches do not receive their powers from demons, nor do they worship the devil. Instead, witches consider themselves "The Servants of Nature", as they make it their duty to maintain balance within the world. Magic Magic is a practice of witchcraft that encompasses many different types of activities including astrology, divination, spell casting, and spirit communication. It includes the practices of many cultures, nations and religions as well as many books and writings from ancient times. Depending upon the individual, some witches practice their power by certain belief systems, such as Shamanism, Voodoo, Wicca, or any number of other magical practices from countries and cultures all around the world. Although the majority of traditional witches are commonly portrayed as being kind and selfless humans who use their powers to maintain balance within the world; in the case of Esther and Qetsiyah, it has been proven that some witches are independent thinkers who may go against the Balance of Nature by practicing their powers for dark and sinister deeds. Magic Powers Basic Powers The basic powers of every witch include: *'Channeling:' The act of invoking extra forms of energy by focusing on external forces. *'Spell Casting: '''The act of changing and controlling events through the use of incantations and more. *'Witches Brew:' The act of brewing and concocting magical potions that have supernatural properties. Other Powers With practice and training, witches can develop other powers that include: *'Divination:' The act of divining future, past, and present events based off extrasensory perception. **'Clairvoyance:' The practice of divination through the perception of emotions, objects, people, or physical phenomena. **'Empathy:' The power to identify the emotional feelings of another person. **'Intuition:' The practice of divination through the use of instinctive knowledge. **'Mediumship:' The practice of communicating with the spirits of the dead. **'Premonitions:' The practice of divination through the observation and study of dreams. **'Psychometry: The practice of divination through contact with or proximity to a certain object or person. Tools *'Amulets: '''An object that is used to protect its wearer from harm. *'Athames: 'A ceremonial dagger with a double-edged blade that is commonly used to direct energy. *'Candles: A block of solid wax with an embedded wick that is commonly lit to to amplify a witch’s spell. *'Cauldrons: '''A large metal pot that is commonly used to hold the ingredients for elixirs and potions. *'Grimoire:' A family journal is documented with magical recipes, rituals, and spells. *'Talisman:' An object that is used to magnify a witch's power. Weaknesses *'Disbelief: The act of denying or disbelieving in ones magical potential could cause a witch to inadvertently suppress their paranormal power. *'Fear: '''A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the condition or feeling of being afraid could cause a witch to involuntarily block their own powers for a short time. *'Mortality: Based off the fact that witches are still human, they share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. age, decapitation, disease, heart-failure, suffocation, etc.) *'Overexertion: '''The excessive use of magic could lead to disorientation, nose bleeds, unconsciousness, and if taken to the extreme, death. Relationships Earth :"''Witches have a connection to the Earth. We can literally feel nature." :— Bonnie Bennett : The relationship between the Earth and the witches is a very deep and spiritual connection. While the majority of witches seem to respect the Earth with just as much commitment and reverence as religious factions do about their churches or mosques, it has been proven that not all witches share this belief and have made malevolent acts against the Balance of Nature. Humans The relationship between humans and witches is generally a positive relationship, although this was not always the case. Throughout the past, over half of the human population lived in fear of the supernatural community. This fear caused many of the human parents to teach their children to hate and persecute all creatures who were different from them, especially witches. This eventually lead to some of the world's most infamous witch trails that massacred hundreds (possibly thousands) of witches. While it has been implied that more than half of those who were accused were entirely innocent, according to Elijah Mikaelson, many of those who were killed in Mystic Falls were true witches. Throughout the centuries, it appears that the belief in occult has dramatically declined to the point where Sheila Bennett suggested that many humans like to poke fun at witchcraft. Spirits :"Witches talk, even on the Other Side. Who do you think makes all the rules?" :— Sheila Bennett : The relationship between the Spirits and the witches was more of a political relationship than a spiritual one. The Spirits were highly involved in the activities of witches and often communed with them during their rituals and spells. The Spirits were known to have created the laws on witchcraft and distributed punishments to any witch who disobeyed their rules. Since the collapse of the Other Side, all relationships between the Spirits and the witches have become extinct. Travelers :"They're more like the ugly stepsister." :— Liv Parker : The relationship between the Travelers and the witches is an entirely negative relationship that dates back over two thousand years. During the Archaic period in Greece, the witches of the Greek community originally lived in blissful harmony with one another until a powerful witch named Qetsiyah created an immortality spell. This controversial act caused the witches to divide into two groups: conventional andunconventional. The conventional witches saw the immorality spell as a violation of the natural law that all living creatures must die. These witches sought to border the limitations of magic by creating religious commandments that every witch should adhere. However, a subgroup of witches who held unconventional beliefs about magic saw the immorality spell as a revelation of divine potential and flouted the testaments of their peers. These differences of opinion created a rift between the witches that has lasted for more than two millennia. Vampires :"Witches being pulled down by vampire problems...as much as we tried to do to stay out of it." :— Sheila Bennett : The relationship between the vampires and the witches is a complicated relation that is more often negative than positive. This is mainly due to the idea that since vampires were created from dark magic and flout the natural design that all living creatures must die. Werewolves The relationship between werewolves and witches is a neutral to negative relationship. Werewolves and witches have been shown to be at odds more than allies. Apparently the two species did once have a strong relationship with one another, however this was ruined with the inception of the vampires. Witches :"Well the way he sees it all witches are family. We're all bonded together by a code of loyalty to help each other." :— Luka Martin : The relationship between witches and the witchcraft community is generally a positive relationship where the witches not only help and protect each other, but often treat one another as members of an extended family. However, while the majority of witches feel it is there duty to help their fellow man, it has been proven that some witches may disregard this belief and turn against their own people.